Abstract
In this review,wesummarize diverse ways for acquiring helical architectures from self-assembly of oligomers, polymers and block copolymers consisting of achiral or chiral entities. Various approaches to generate helical architectures from microscopic conformations to macroscopic phases have been proposed. Designed molecules with specific functional groups from synthetic chemistry, which can response or interact with secondary interactions such as solvent solubility and polarity, pH, hydrogen bonding,φ-φ interactions and ionic coordination, are able to form helical architectures. Moreover, by applying internal or external steric hindrance such as chirality as well as confinement, respectively, helical superstructures or helical phases can also be obtained. However, the macroscopic phases with helical sense from the self-assembly of soft materials especially with well-defined 3D ordered morphologies are still incomprehensive even if they can mimic biological systems and provide the essential aspects of constructing architectures from Nature. In contrast to small-molecular forming helical superstructures, polymers or block copolymers with a helical conformation can generate ell-defined chiral superstructures and have strong mechanical properties for practical applications. Also, the well-defined superstructures from the self-assembly of polymers and block copolymers may provide distinct features to be available for further in-depth investigations, especially for the comprehensive study of the formation of phases with helical sense. Consequently, the helical architectures from the selfassembly of polymers and block copolymers may provide clear pathways toward understanding of the principle of constructing hierarchical structures. Also, by interplaying with chirality with a variety of applications, chiral sensing systems, chiral separations, chiral catalysts, gelation control and chiroptics may became possible. In contrast to the helical conformations and helical superstructures in solution, well-defined chiral phases with exclusive handedness in bulk may provide a possible way for practical applications such as the stimulus-responsive nanoactuators, chiral-separating nanochannels, and helical nanocomposite materials for chiroptics. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.